Reversing valve



Sept. 18,1923.

A..T. KELLER REVERS ING VALVE Original Filed Oct. 51, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIBJ- Patented Sept. 18, 1923.

- UNITED STA messes earner ser es.

ALBERT r. KELLER, or BALTIMGRE, iannvnnnp.

REVERSIN'G vALvn.

Application filed October 31', 1919, Serial 1To.-33,775. Renewed February 11, 192-2. Serial No. 535,948.

To all whom it may concern e it known that'I, ALBERT T. KELLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Baltimore, inthe county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have made anew and useful Improvement in Reversing Valves, of which the following is a specifi cation.

My'invention relates to regenerative fur- I object is to prevent the escape of gases to the.

atmosphere when their flow is reversed. Another obJect is to prov de adequate mechanism for reversing my valve w1th a minimum of labor and time.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical section thru the stack flue and two regenerative fines of a furnace and thru my reversing valve arrangement and is taken on line 11 of Fig. 2: Fig. 2 is a plan View and section on line 2 2 of Fig". 1 and Fig. 3 is a broken vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 2. I

Briefly, nay-invention consists of a rotatable tube 1 adapted to connect a flue 2 with a flue 3 or a fluel and contained. with the ports of these fines-within a box 5 which is adapted to supply fuel gas or air to the flue 3, or at, which is not connected to tube 1. In my detailed description I will assume that box 5 supplies one of the regenerator flues with air to be mixed with the fuel gas, in troduced elsewhere, in a combustion chamher and that the exhaust gases from the combustion chamber are led thru the other regenerator flue and discharged thru tube 1 and pipe 2 to a stack flue 6. This direction of flow of the particular gases mentioned is only a tentative circulation to demonstrate the operation of my device and is not to be understood as exclusively defining its use.

The ports of fines 3 and 4 terminate in seal troughs T and 8 respectively. A vertical line thru point equidistant from the centors of the circular troughs 7 and 8 forms the axis of my reversing valve and passes thru the center of the end of pipe 2 which is provided with a seal flange 9. The lower end of a double curved connecting tube 1 terminates in a seal flange 10 adapted to lit in trough 7 and the upper end of the tube is provided with a rim 11 which forms a depending seal'flan'ge and'an upwardly facing seal trough.

Where the vertical axis intersects the lower face of tube 1, I provide an integral boss 12 011 the tube. Boss 12 is recessed and a pin 13, seated in the base of box 5, extends into this recess and forms a pivotal support for tube 1.

I A semi-cylindrical box 5 is erected upon the brickwork. flues 3 and a, encloses tube 1, and is provided on its upper face with a seal trougn 14: adapted to receive the depending seal flange on tube rim 11. The upper face of box 5 is also provided with a'door 15 which may be opened to admit air to the interior of the box. It will be noted that free communication exists between flue 4 and box 5 and the opening of door 15 supplies a continuous stream of fresh air to the flue. 1

I reverse the flow of the exhaust gases by revolving tube 1 on its axial pivot 13 to bring its lower end over the port in the latter flue. To accomplish this reversal. three movements are necessary: first, tube 1 must be raised to free flange 1.0 from the overlapping sides of seal trough 7; second, the

tube must be revolved'to the reversed position, and third, the tube must be lowered to the new sealed position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The raising and lowering movements are accomplished by means of a lever 16 and a piston 17 operated by fluid pressure in a cylinder 18. never 16 is pivoted at 19 in a seal pot 20 and below the lower edge of an extension on box 5 which dips into the seal pot. One arm of lever 16 rises from seal pot 20 and its end forms a collar 21 fitting a groove 22 in boss 12. The other arm of lever 16 rises from seal pot 20 and is attached to the end of piston rod 38 in cylinder 18 attached to a standard 23 mounted on the furnace brickwork. It is obvious that the operation of piston rod 38 thru cylinder 18 will raise and lower tube 1 out of and into sealing relation with the flue ports.

Tube 1 is revolved in alternating d rections by a reciprocating rack 24: geared to the tube. Rack 2a is in the form of a hy- It surrounds the ports of draulic, cylinder with rack teeth 25 on one side. The rack slides to and fro in a standard 26 which also forms a journal bearing 27 for a'pinion 28 and a gear 29. A stationary piston 30 fits within rack cylinder 24L and is held in the central position by a hollow piston rod 31 secured to standard 23 anda corresponding standard 32. Fluid pressure is admitted alternately to opposite sides of piston 30 in cylinder 24 thru pipes 33 andv3t and ports 35 and 36 respectively in rod 31. As piston 30 is fixed, rack cylinder 24 is moved in the desired direction and rotates pinion 28*and gear 29. The latter meshes with a gear ,37 mounted on rim 11 of tube 1. The faces of the teeth on gears 29 and 37 are broad enough to permit relative vertical movement of the gears without becoming unmeshed.

()peration: Assume that the checker brick to which flue 4 leads have been cooled by the incoming gases while those at the end of flue 3 have been heated and it is desired toreverse the gas flow. Fluid pressure is admitted to cylinder 18 which raises tube 1, by lever 16, to clear seal trough 7. Fluid pressure is then admitted to cylinder 24 thru pipe 33 and port 35 and the resulting movement of rackteeth 25 rotates pinion 28 and gear 29 in a clockwise direction and gear 37 and tube 1 in theopposite direction on the latters axis. then the lower end of tube 1 has reached the port of flue 4:, the valve (not shown) controlling pipe 33 is closed. The pressure in cylinder 18 is released When tube 1 will lower to sealing position and thestack draft thru pipe 2 and fine 6 will reverse the direction of-both inlet and exhaust gases; The reversal of tube 1 V of my" invention and I contemplate .such' changes in its commercial development.

I claim I In aregenerative furnace, a'stack flue, re-. generator flues', a reversingf valve b0); provided with portsto said regenerator .flues,- a tube having. a portion extending outside 7 of said boxto' said stack flueand a portion inside ofsaid box and extending to one of said ports, a fluid seal'between the exter or of said outside portion and said 1004', ragfluid seal between said outside portion and said stack flue, a fluid seal between said inside portion and vthe port to which it is connected, means, operated externally of said box for makin and breaking said latter mentioned seal, and mechanism outsideof said box: for changing the connection of said inside portion 'to' another of said ports; said seal and mechanism functioning as describedwith-i out breaking said first two mentioned seals. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my hand this 27th day 050ctober, 1919. a

ALBERT T; KELLER 

